Pauling, Linus
Linus Carl Pauling (1901–1994) was born in Portland, Oregon, on February 28, and his two Nobel Prizes symbolize his contributions to science and ethics: His Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1954) was awarded for his researchon the chemical bond and the structures of complex molecules, and his Nobel Peace Prize (1962 but awarded in 1963) was given for his campaign to halt the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. Pauling's early life was spent in Oregon, where he received a bachelor's degree from Oregon Agricultural College and met Ava Helen Miller, his future wife, who would have an important influence on his ethical development. Pauling's education continued at the California Institute of Technology, from which he received a doctorate in 1925.
Linus Pauling, 1901–1994. The American chemist was twice the recipient of a Nobel Prize. He revealed the nature of the chemical bond, helped to create the field of molecular biology, founded the science of ortho-molecular medicine, and was an activist for peace. (The Library of Congress.)In the first two decades of his career Pauling made significant contributions to structural chemistry that included determining the structures of many molecules by using the techniques of X-ray and electron diffraction. He also developed a theory of the chemical bond based on the new field of quantum mechanics. In the 1930s he became interested in hemoglobin and antibody molecules. Pauling was conventionally patriotic during World War II, and for his military contributions, such as an oxygen meter widely used in submarines and airplanes, he was given the Presidential Medal for Meritin 1948.
Because of the development of nuclear weapons during the war Pauling, like many other scientists, became sensitive to the ethical consequences of scientific discoveries. At the urging of his wife, he included attacks on war and pleas for peace in his public speeches. After winning the Nobel Prize for Chemistry he began to use his increased prestige to convince people that nuclear testing was immoral because it caused birth defects and cancer. In the late 1950s Pauling became increasingly involved in the debate over nuclear fallout, especially through the Scientists' Bomb-Test Appeal, which he wrote and helped circulate. That appeal, along with his lawsuits and other activities, helped bring about the partial test-ban treaty of 1963. When the treaty went into effect, Pauling received the news that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize.
In the final decades of his life Pauling founded the new field of orthomolecular medicine to investigate the connection between good health and the proper proportion of various molecules, especially vitamins, in the body. That advocacy had an ethical component because Pauling felt that it was immoral for researchers and government agencies to keep that knowledge from the public, whose suffering could be minimized and whose health could be maximized by the correct intake of different vitamins. Like his stand against nuclear testing, Pauling's campaign for megavitamin therapy was controversial; many nutritionists believed that a balanced diet without vitamin supplementation was sufficient for good health. Ironically, both Ava Helen and Linus Pauling died—she in 1981 and he thirteen years later on August 19—of cancer despite their hope that their high vitamin intake would help them avoid that disease. Pauling died at his ranch on the Big Sur coast of California.
Orthomolecular medicine has enthusiastic advocates and opponents, but Pauling's contributions to science are incontrovertible. His discoveries in structural chemistry, molecular biology, and molecular medicine have been called the most illuminating body of scientific work of the twentieth century. His crusade for the nuclear test ban has resulted in smaller amounts of radioactive materials in the environment, with a consequent improvement in the health of many people. Finally, his example as an activist scientist inspired many others to use their scientific knowledge for the betterment of humanity.
Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Bibliography
Divine, Robert A. (1978). Blowing on the Wind: The Nuclear Test Ban Debate, 1954–1960. New York: Oxford University Press. Though concerned with the arguments of such participants as Linus Pauling and Edward Teller, Divine emphasizes the scientific and ethical complexities of this turbulent public debate.
Hager, Thomas. (1995). Force of Nature: The Life of Linus Pauling. New York: Simon & Schuster. The most detailed of the several Pauling biographies.
Pauling, Linus. (1983). No More War! (25th Anniversary Edition). New York: Dodd, Mead. The book that best reflects Pauling's views on war and peace in general and on the test ban debate in particular.
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